Tuesday, June 25, 2013

for some reason, i seem to be making a lot of "hello" cards lately. i'm not sure if it's because of the products i'm drawn to and working with recently or just because "hello" sounds so friendly...

this is another DIY Shop card; actually, both of my cards today are. this one came about because i had made up a bunch of tags using some of the patterned papers--you can see the tag under the white "hello" tag and buttons. i made several different styles which i'll eventually list in the Etsy shop, but first i wanted to include a photo sample of the tags in use. i've yet to photograph the rest of the tags, but i LOVE this card!

it turned out so well that i kept it on my desk for a couple weeks just so i could keep looking at it! and i'm also very--extremely--happy with the way the photos turned out! look how clear they are!

i've also been making a lot of 6"x3" cards lately. it's a nice change from the old A2 standard 5.5"x4.25" and they fit neatly into some special kraft envelopes i got awhile back. it's also a great size to use with the 6x6 patterned paper pads.

as i said, more DIY Shop here. i made a whole mess of cards back in April and May and would be working on one idea when i would suddenly get another idea. i churned out quite a few cards in a couple of weeks' time.

so now i'm just playing catch-up with the photography. i love the black/pink/yellow color combination on this card. are you guys drawn to colors as much as i am? i think that's my number one inspiration; i can't tell you how many cards/projects/kits come about just because i like the way certain colors look together. when i see them, i get an almost euphoric feeling and have to write it down or clip the colorful items together immediately so i'm sure to remember them in the future.

i just wanted to pop in quickly tonight for a show and tell. so, hello...and goodbye!

Sunday, June 23, 2013

back in April, when Nemy was about 6 weeks old, our little family ventured out on a 6-day road trip up California's coast. we decided beforehand to go only as far as San Francisco because we went all the way up to the Redwoods back in December. and while we were in the mood for a drive, spending hours and hours in the car was not what we wanted to do this time.

{Stearns Wharf, Santa Barbara}

from Orange County, you can drive up to San Fran in less than a day if you take the 5; it's boring, it's desert, it's a straight shot...we still wanted a little adventure so we broke up the trip into shorter hauls and longer stays. the first leg of the journey was Santa Barbara. we got there in less than 3 hours and stayed one night.

{Santa Barbara sunset}

Day 1: Stearns Wharf, Santa Barbara

{Mr. Bagubian on the Wharf}

{boats}

Day 2: Santa Barbara Zoo in the morning.

our visit to the zoo yielded a lucky siting of this newborn giraffe. it was only his first or second public appearance and it took quite a bit of coordinating to get him out of his pen. his name is Dane and that's his mommy Audrey. he was so cute--even at 6 feet tall!

{SB Zoo}

Day 2: onto Monterey in the afternoon.

Day 3: we took a scenic drive down to Big Sur and endured an easy hike to the McWay Fall.

{McWay Fall}

can you see it?! it's tiny, but the beach is gorgeous and private since there's no way to get down to it.

the northern (central) coast of California is stunning--if you are ever able to drive up Highway One, i urge you to do it!

{happy cows}

we have a series of Milk commercials out here whose tag line is, "Happy cows come from California." it must be true--that's the ocean in the background...and that's what those cows see everyday. so jealous.

Day 4: San Francisco

we wanted to take Mr. Bagubian on a cable car ride so i carried Nemy in the baby carrier and we waited in line for an hour to get on. Gooby spent the entire ride asking if it was over--i'm not sure he liked it all that much while it was happening, but he talked about it a lot afterward. (it's pretty loud and he's not one who enjoys loud noises.)

{he made a lot of friends waiting in line, though}

{Powell-Hyde Cable Car}

{Ghirardelli Square}

{crossing the GGB}

Day Five: Golden Gate Bridge and beyond!

{Muir Beach Overlook}

we tried to do something that we thought would not be as touristy as Fisherman's Wharf and set out for a hike in Muir Woods. it was a great drive but when we arrived, there were hundreds of people there! we would have had to park at least 2 miles away from the trailhead and then walk to the trailhead before the actual hike even began. neither of us felt inclined to do that with a toddler and a 6-week-old in tow so we just kept driving.

we decided to head back toward the city and try to find the best spot for a Golden Gate Bridge photo. Hoss had me "Google it" and the general consensus was Kirby Cove. again, loads of people and no parking but somewhere along the way we found a quiet spot to park, and i fed the baby while Hoss and Mr. B took a little walk.

i did manage to snap this quick shot in passing...we were stuck in a few minutes of traffic near one of the vista points. it's one of my most favorite photos from the whole trip.

Friday, June 21, 2013

tgif! really. i am so happy it's Friday. we've had our ups and downs this week and even though they were nothing terrible--more laughable, actually--i'm very happy to have Hoss home for the next two days.

on Wednesday, when Mr. B was supposed to be napping but wasn't, i went into his bedroom to get him and found this:

that's 3 full-size boxes of tissues he ripped apart and a case of my old mix tapes that he threw on top of the mountain of Kleenex! he has never done anything like that before--he's never even tried to climb out of his crib! i was in shock when i opened the door and saw this--i wasn't even angry; i just couldn't believe it. all i said was, "Gus, what did you do?!" and it was enough for him to burst into tears (you can see him crying in the first photo). of course i had to take a picture to send Hoss before i cleaned it up, though.

and as i was cleaning it up, Mr. B kept telling me what a good job of cleaning i was doing. it was so hard not to laugh in front of him. what a booger! Hoss had a good laugh, too, when he saw the photos.

later that evening, while i was nursing the baby, i made this lovely abstract photo...it's an extreme closeup of the tissue pile, edited in Snapster (the iPhone app). Nemy's a pretty good eater so i have to do something to pass the time while she's nursing...iPhone photo editing, it is!

last night we went out to dinner and after nearly inhaling his apple juice and grilled cheese, Gooby started complaining that his tummy hurt. he complains about that often and it usually ends up being gas so we didn't think too much of it...well, Hoss didn't, but i always get really anxious when he says his tummy hurts; i have a severe vomit phobia. we drove home with Gooby being very quiet, Nemy wailing because she wanted to eat, and me silently fearing Mr. B was going to puke. Hoss remained calm--sweating, but calm. we pulled in the driveway and i jumped out, took the baby inside, and proceeded to feed her. i had no idea that outside, Gooby was losing his dinner all over Hoss and the driveway. THANK GOD! i did not WANT to know that! we made it home just in time. (i was incredibly thankful.) and after he was done throwing up, Mr. B was absolutely fine!

so i know that those two incidents aren't even that major. again, they're laughable, so that's why i led with that silly picture of Nemy. i love her funny face and i feel like that today, too. i hope it gave you a good laugh, also!

Happy Day...that's an odd card to be showing today, after my stories, but some good things did happen this week so it still counts. i had a good Nurse Jackie marathon (another way to pass the time nursing the baby--see what i did there?). i'd never seen it before but i'm officially addicted. (yup, i went there, too.) i also made a huge breakthrough with my photography this week...i worked out a great place to photograph my projects and figured out the right time of day...you'll notice there are no ugly shadows in these pictures!

the pictures are bright and clear and the setup is quick and easy, which is a tremendous step forward. it definitely means i'll be able to share a lot more things--i have a ton of projects and things made, but the setup took so long and was hard to accomplish around a baby's erratic schedule. it was so time-consuming that i always procrastinated taking the photos.

this makes me VERY happy--you have no idea. it's only taken a year and a half to get this point!

i made this card for a wedding my in-laws were invited to. the papers are Everyday Eclectic from Echo Park and the letters and red lace strip are DIY Shop by Crate Paper. everything about this card-making process was enjoyable...it came together quickly and easily and the photo session was a dream, too! so there you go...a happy day.

Hoss and i are determined to have a good weekend...and maybe even our first date, post-baby. fingers crossed! hope you all have a great weekend, too!

here's my sample...i just got this nail polish in that lovely, lovely pinky-orange shade (my new favorite color of the season, btw!) and these favor bags are so perfect for it...how fabulous would this be as a bridal shower favor?!

i've been focusing on pretty, springy/summery combinations. (this pink and yellow set was inspired by another kit i've been putting together. i hope to release that kit sometime in the next few weeks...)

i also love this set, featuring the currently trending anchors and arrows.

this set in light grays and pinks is based on a custom order i made for a little girl's birthday party. i liked it so much that i had to make it a permanent addition to the shop! i'm always happy to get custom requests because more often than not, i end up loving the color combination. i actually have a couple more sets from customer requests awaiting their debuts...hopefully over the next few days.

and this last mix is another favorite summer color pairing--bright blue and sunny yellow.

i've been seeing it a lot lately and i love it so much that i made these:

this was my project for a Crate Paper post back in May. {you can read the entire post here} i think i am inherently drawn to yellow...it's such a happy color and every shade is so pretty. i know that orange is blue's complimentary color, but there is something so striking about these two bright colors paired together.

there are 5 handmade tags in sweet little bags...

they can be used for any occasion...birthday, wedding, congrats, just because...it's a great set to have when you need something quick and versatile.

i'm not done adding new things so i'll be posting another update in a few weeks. until then, all of these goodies are available now in the Etsy shop and if you have any questions, feel free to ask! oh, and all of this new stuff means the old stuff's gotta go so don't forget to check out the SALE section for some great deals!